(a) Organizations receiving certification from the Secretary will be entitled to submit nominations for Board membership to the Secretary for appointment and to submit requests for funding to the Board.
(b) For major peanut-producing states, state-legislated peanut promotion, research, and information organizations may request certification, provided the state-legislated promotion program submits a factual report that shall contain information deemed relevant and specified by the Secretary for the making of such determination pursuant to paragraph (e) of this section.
(c) If a state-legislated peanut promotion, research and information organization in a major peanut-producing state does not elect to seek certification from the Secretary within a specified time period as determined by the Secretary, or does not meet eligibility requirements as specified by the Secretary, then any peanut producer organization whose primary purpose is to represent peanut producers within a primary peanut-producing state, or any other organization which has peanut producers as part of its membership, may request certification. Certification shall be based, in addition to other available information, upon a factual report submitted by the organization that shall contain information deemed relevant and specified by the Secretary for the making of such determination pursuant to paragraph (e) of this section.
(d) For minor peanut-producing states, any organization that has peanut producers as part of its membership may request certification.
(e) The information required for certification by the Secretary may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) The geographic distribution within the state covered by the organization's active membership;
(2) The nature and size of the organization's active membership in the state, proportion of the organization's active membership accounted for by producers, a map showing the peanut-producing counties in the state in which the organization has members, the volume of peanuts produced in each county, the number of peanut producers in each county, and the size of the organization's active peanut producer membership in each county;
(3) The extent to which the peanut producer membership of such organization is represented in setting the organization's policies;
(4) Evidence of stability and permanency of the organization;
(5) Sources from which the organization's operating funds are derived;
(6) Functions of the organization;
(7) The organization's ability and willingness to further the aims and objectives of the Act and Order; and,
(8) Demonstrated experience administering generic state promotion and research programs.
(f) The Secretary's determination as to eligibility or certification of an organization shall be final.